Gas-producing shrapnel.



H. H. C. DUNWOODY.

GAS PRODUCING SHRAPNEL.

APPLlcATloN FILED ocnzo, 1915.

l l 972%@ Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

HENRY H. C. DUNWOODY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT 0F COLUMBIA.`

GAS-PRD'UCING SHRAPN EL.

Speciication of Letters Patent.

Patented sept. 5, 1916.

Application filed October 20, 1915. Serial No. 56,923.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY H.YC. DUN- wooDY, brigadier-general, United States Army, retired, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gras-Producing Shrapnel; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such' as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to shrapnel, and has for its object to provide a projectile of this nature which will be more certain in action and more deadly in its destructive effects than those heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described and particularly pointed out inthe claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specication in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views, Figure 1 illustrates a shrapnel shell made in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 a section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, with the explosive charges omitted; Fig. 3 a section similar to Fig. 2 but with the separating rings omitted as well as the explosive charges; Fig. 4 represents a longitudinal sectional view of a shrapnel shell similar to Fig. 1 and also illustrating a slightly modified form of construction; Fig. 5 represents a plan View of one of the dividing rings;

and Fig. 6 is an edge elevational view of` the ring shown in Fig. 5.

1 indicates any suitable base piece, 2 any suitable base fuse, 3 any suitable projectile secured to the base piece l and provided with a cavity 4 as shown. v

5 represents an outer shell spaced apart from the inner shell 3 as by the ring 6, intergrally or otherwise secured to the base 1 and said shell 5 is provided with a suitable contour 7 to reduce its resistance in flight. Suitable longitudinal grooves 8 are preferably provided in the walls of the inner shell 3 and there is also preferably provided suitable circumferential or transverse weakening grooves 9 in said shell 3. The said grooves 8 and 9 may be of any suitable. d1- mensions and may be spaced any desired distance apart, depending upon the particular fragmentation desired upon explosion.

The said grooves 8 and 9 may further be terminated at any distance desired short of the tapered portion 10 of the'shell 3, as indicated in Fig. l, or the said grooves may be continued to the tapered point 10 of said shell as indicated in Fig. 4, according to whether it is desired to break up the entire body of the shell 3 or only the rear portion thereof. In like manner the outer shell 5 is provided with longitudinal grooves 12 and with circumferential or transverse grooves 13 as will be clear from the drawings. The said grooves 12 and 13 may be likewise extended to the front portion of the outer shell 5, as indicated in Fig. 4, or they may be stopped short of the tapered portion 7 of said shell as is indicated in Fig. 1, according to whether it is desired to break up the entire portion of the shell 5 or only its rear portion. i

It might be here stated as will be more clearly disclosed below, when it is desired to operate the shell over long ranges or to penetrate light works it is preferable to leave the forward portions of each of the shells 3 and 5 unweakened, and to/only weaken the rear portions of said shells. On the other hand, when it is desired to explode the shells at close range over trenches or over massed bodies of troops it is desired to weaken the shells 3 and 5 and to only leave sufficient strength therein to insure that the shells do not break up in the gun.

16 represents a charge of explosive material carried by the inner shell 3 and this charge may in some cases, be composed of an ordinary explosive while in others it may be composed of a high explosive. When it is of an ordinary explosive, of course, a suitable fuse 2 will be used in connection therewith, while when said charge 16 is composed of a high explosive a detonating fuse- 2 will be used in connection therewith. The advantage of a high explosive over an ordinary explosive would occur when it is ldesired to produce a very great degree of fragmentation. In the same way 17 represents either a high explosive, an yordinary explosive or a gas generating compound according to the particular needs that the use of the shell mayv require. A fuse 18 is provided in the nose of the outer shell 5 in order to ignite the explosive or gas generating compound 17. If the compound 17 is a high explosive, of course, the fuse 18 will be of detonating characterE Separating the shells 5 and 3, are the proj ectile rings each, provided with the holes 21 and each preferably weakened as by the circular lines 22 and the radial lines 23 to facilitate their fragmentation. Said rings may be held in place as by the key 75.

The holes 21 serve to permit the explosive or gas generating compound 17 to pass through the holes 21 and to completely ll the free space or cavity between the shells 3 and 5. lVhen the charges 16 or 17 or both are exploded or detonated the rings 20 are broken into fragments of a size depending upon the character of the explosion and upon the character of the particular weakened lines 22 and 23, that have been adopted.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, any suitable liquid 25, or any suitable gas producing material is employed. Further, in Fig. 1, I have shown the perforations 21 in the rings 20, as registering with each other while in Fig. 4, said perforations are staggered, but the particular positions of the said perforations are i not of great importance.

It will thus be seen that my invention provides a shrapnel shell which does not employ balls and which will deliver a gas at the point of explosion.

lVhen the explosive 17 is ignited the forward end 7 is blown off and the explosive contained in the perforations 21 serves to force the rings 2O forward and out of the shell 5, while at the same time causing a greater or less fragmentation of said rings and shell.

It will further be seen that the shell may be made of any suitable caliber and may even be fired from rapid firing guns, of the automatic or semi-automatic ty-pe. Of course, when small calibers are used it is desirable to produce a great fragmentation, and in such cases the weakened lines such as 8 and 9, 12 and 13 are so disposed as to produce a fine sub-division of the projectile when one or more of its charges are exploded or detonated, as the case may be.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction without departing from the spirit of my invention and therefore I do not wish to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a shrapnel the combination of a base piece; an inner shell having a cavity weakened on its exterior and secured to said base piece; an outer shell weakened on its interior, spaced from and inclosing said inner shell and also secured to said base piece; a plurality of weakened rings adapted to be broken into fragments surrounding said inner shell and located on the interior of said outer shell; means for keying said rings to said inner shell; an explosive material carried in the cavity of said inner shell; and a fuse communicating with said material, substantially as described.

2. In a shrapnel the combination of a base piece having an annular projection; an inner shell having a cavity secured to said base piece on the inner surface of said projection and provided with weakening means on its exterior; an outer shell spaced from and inclosing said inner shell also secured to the projection of said base piece and provided with weakening means on its interior; a plurality of weakened rings adapted tobe broken into fragments surrounding said inner shell and located on the interior of said outer shell, an explosive material carried in the cavity of said inner shell.; a fuse communicating with said material; and a gas generating material carried in the cavity between said inner and outer shells, substantially as described.

3. In a shrapnel the combination of a base 4 piece; an inner shell provided with weakened lines secured to said base piece; an outer shell provided with weakened lines secured to said base piece; a plurality of perforated rings provided with weakened lines surrounding said inner shell and filling the interior of said outer shell; an explosive material carried by said inner shell; a gas generating material carried by said rings and in the cavity between said inner and outer shells; and means to set oif said explosive material, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

HENRY H. C. DUNWOODY. 

